Joe Lost, and I'm Still Sorry

Yesterday the Senate reached a compromise on enemy combatants right to habeas corpus. There are two related votes and, at first blush, I'm ok with either of them. But what's also interesting is the civic lesson being played out. There's been a few posts on this blog about Bush's ratings and what that means. With the President recently hitting an all-time low, we're starting to see the fall-out, or pile-on, depending on your point of view. The Senate is now starting to reel in the broad authority it gave him just after 9/11. With language calling for Bush to explain what's happening in Iraq, and requiring him to report every three months on progress, restricting torture, and asking about secret detention centers, this is not the compliant Senate we've witnessed over the last five years. Also, the recent gubernatorial race in New Jersey saw the dem run an ad saying, "Doug Forrester, he's Bush's choice for Governor, is he yours?" And Forrester lost. Slamming your opponent as a Bush ally is a stark contrast to the Lousiana Senate race four years ago when both the Dem and Rep both ran largely on how much they would support Bush. The incumbant Dem, Landreau, even touted her high percentage of voting with the President as a reason to vote for her. A President's biggest weapons are his popularity and the bully pulpit. Bush's never been fond of talking to the people, at least not to a non-prescreened audience, and he's rested on his popularity numbers to get things done in congress. As long as his numbers stay down, and if he continues to be viewed as a liability, he will be in real trouble. And yes, I know that's an obvious statement.